Month: December 2022
He Comes Through on His Promises – December 22, 2022
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22,23
He Comes Through on His Promises
Daily Devotion – December 22, 2022
Devotion based on Matthew 1:22,23
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“I’ll be there!” a dad says to his son as he heads off to work. The son has a basketball game, and it would mean a lot to have his dad there cheering him on. But the afternoon rolls around, and he leaves work later than he’d hoped. Then, he sits in traffic as the game clock keeps ticking. He will not be able to keep his promise to his son.
Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God made a promise to his children that he’d be there. He promised that the virgin would give birth to a son, and he would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Those plans and that promise were not tentative; they were not subject to unforeseen circumstances because the one who made the promise is God. He’s not limited in any way. There was no need for him to say, “I’ll be there, God willing,” because he is God, and it was his will to be Immanuel, God with us.
Here in the very first chapter of the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus is called Immanuel, “God with us.” In the very last chapter of Matthew, he says to all who believe in him, “surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Remember who speaks that promise—Immanuel, God with us. When he says that, it’s not like when we say, “I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll be there in thought,” he means it.
The one who makes that promise is not limited in any way. Jesus, Immanuel, is still God with us. He has the power to be with us in more than just a thought. He comes to us through his Word with reassurance that our sins are forgiven and we are no longer separated from God. And he promises that he will not leave us in this world with all its problems. He will come again and take us to be with him. He lives up to his name Immanuel, God with us.
Prayer:
Come Lord Jesus and be with me through your words and promises! Amen
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He Comes to Save His People – December 21, 2022
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21
He Comes to Save His People
Daily Devotion – December 21, 2022
Devotion based on Matthew 1:21
See series: Devotions
What does your name mean? Most names have some meaning behind them. You might be able to trace the roots of your name to another language. Maybe you were named after someone in your family. Or maybe your parents picked your name simply because they liked it.
Mary and Joseph didn’t have to flip through baby name books to land on the name Jesus. God, through his angel, instructed Joseph to give him the name Jesus because he would save his people. In Hebrew, the name means “salvation.” For anyone else who ever bore that name, it was a nice name that perhaps served as a reminder of God’s salvation. However, for anyone else, it was just a name.
This time, it was different. This Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, would be the first and only in history who truly lives up to the name. His name means salvation, and he is the only source of salvation from all sin for all people. His name and all it means came into clearest focus when it was written on a notice and placed above him on the cross—JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS (Matthew 27:37). There on the cross, he was dying to save you. From cradle to cross he came to save.
What does the name Jesus mean to you? His name means salvation for you! It means that the guilt of your sin is taken away. Through Jesus, your Savior God has declared you not guilty. It means God does not hold your sins against you. He nailed them to a cross where not only the name “Jesus” was nailed, but also Jesus himself was hung, his life in the balance for you! It means that as you remain on this earth for a time and still see the impact of sin and imperfection salvation from sin is already yours. It means he will come again rescue us from this perishing world to bring us to live everlasting.
From cradle to cross, he came to save you. And he will come again!
Prayer:
Come Lord Jesus, with your salvation full and free. Amen
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He Comes to Calm Our Troubled Hearts – December 20, 2022
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20
He Comes to Calm Our Troubled Hearts
Daily Devotion – December 20, 2022
Devotion based on Matthew 1:20
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In the middle of the night, fear or worry crosses your mind and disturbs your sleep. Worry about a mountain of work that’s waiting for you the next day or fear of the test you will take in school tomorrow. Whatever is troubling you hits you in the middle of the night when all you want is rest.
Imagine Joseph tossing and turning one night. He discovers that the woman he is about to marry is pregnant and plans to divorce her quietly. Imagine the pain he felt—the pain of a broken promise and crushed dreams. But a promise hadn’t been broken. A promise was being kept.
The Lord sent a message in a dream to calm Joseph’s troubled heart. He said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” “Do not be afraid.” you hear that phrase here and several other times surrounding the birth of Jesus. An angel said to Mary, “don’t be afraid…” On the night Jesus was born, an angel said to troubled shepherds, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news!”
Jesus came to calm our troubled hearts. By nature, the thought of God coming to us—even one of God’s angels—is terrifying. But Jesus, true God in human flesh, came not just to say, “Don’t be afraid.” He takes away every reason to be afraid in God’s presence because he took away your sin. He knows what troubles you and what makes you toss and turn at night. He cares, and he comforts. Your Savior, Jesus comes to you through his Word and says, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven! You have peace with God! Don’t be afraid.”
And he will come again for all the world to see. Then his greatness and power, as true God, won’t be hidden. Then he will say to you, “Don’t be afraid.” Remember, He’s taken away every reason to be afraid because he’s taken away your sin. Rest in that reality!
Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus, and calm my troubled heart! Amen.
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He Comes to Be With Us – December 19, 2022
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
He Comes to Be With Us
Daily Devotion – December 19, 2022
Devotion based on Isaiah 7:14
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We make plans around Christmas to be with the ones we love. If they are far away, we make travel arrangements. Then we wait for that day to come when distance will no longer separate us from those we love, and we can finally be with them.
There was once a time when God was with his people, and it wasn’t a long-distance relationship. When God created the first people, he dwelt with them in the Garden of Eden. Then came a serpent, the devil. He tempted them. When they sinned and did what God had told them not to do, for the first time, they were separated from God. But in the very same moment, God made a promise. He promised that one born of the woman would crush the devil and his plan to separate God and his people forever (Genesis 3:15).
It was always God’s plan to be with his people. It was always his plan to take on the burden of traveling the long distance between us and him. He’s the God that comes to us. He doesn’t meet us halfway. He doesn’t kickback in heaven and say, “You know where to find me, but it’s up to you to come the distance.” No. He’s the God who comes to us in love.
In the centuries that followed the promise he made in the garden—that one born of a woman would come to save—he revealed more details about the coming Savior. Here is living proof that our God comes all the way to us: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Immanuel means God with us. No longer separated by sin. He wants nothing more than to be with us. God bridged the gap just as he always planned. Jesus—the offspring of the woman, the son born of a virgin—is living-proof that God came to be with us, and he will come again to take us to be with him.
Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus, to be with me and to comfort me with your promises. Amen
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Give Him the Name Jesus – December 18, 2022
An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:20,21
Give Him the Name Jesus
Daily Devotion – December 18, 2022
Devotion based on Matthew 1:20,21
See series: Devotions
Naming a baby can be quite exciting. Some parents debate for months on what they will call their child. In an effort to find the perfect name, they may even consult books that are full of baby names or do an extensive online search. Parents are getting more creative all the time. Some parents pick a name to be different. Some pick a family name. Some pick biblical names.
God had a unique purpose in naming his Son. In giving him the name Jesus, God was not trying to be trendy or creative. Rather, he was giving his one and only Son an important title and job description. You see, God had taken a look at his world and didn’t like what he saw. He saw his perfect creation ruined by sin and the entire human race terribly lost in sin and on the way to destruction and condemnation.
As the holy God that he is, the Lord had every right to leave us lost in sin and to go his own way. But that’s not the kind of God we have! Instead God, in love, sent his Son to be our Savior. Jesus lived up to his name. He came into this world and lived a perfect life in our place, earning the righteousness that we sorely lack in our own lives. Then he went on to the cross and died an innocent death in our place, paying for all sins. Jesus saved us just like his name describes.
This Christmas—and always—thank God for the wonderful gift of his Son, Jesus, and learn to praise his name always. It is the only name by which we are saved.
Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, I am humbled by the tremendous gift of your Son, whose name is Jesus. Lead me to thank and praise and love him all the days of my life. Amen.
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Foxhole – December 17, 2022
We consider blessed those who have persevered.
James 5:11
Foxhole
Daily Devotion – December 17, 2022
Devotion based on James 5:11
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Years ago, the Seattle Times ran a feature story on a man by the name of Paul Rogers. Paul was 96 years old and got around with a walker. He lived quietly and comfortably in his house in Overland Park, KS.
Seventy years earlier, however, Paul Rogers faced a different reality. Paul found himself in conditions few of us can imagine. He was in a foxhole in Northern Europe with the temperature below freezing, he had no winter clothing, and enemy troops surrounded his company’s position. Random mortar fire rained down on him. And there was little Paul Rogers could do, except endure it. This frigid, nerve-shattering ordeal lasted for 29 days.
When our Lord speaks to us in the Bible about life in this cold and broken world, he understands that much of it comes down to simple endurance. Perhaps it’s a difficult personality at work or a family member who regularly manages to cause pain. Maybe it’s a period of financial stress that never seems to end or chronic poor health, where you can’t remember the last time you woke up feeling well. Perhaps it’s old regrets that insist on coming back to haunt you or old temptations that never tire of tempting you all over again.
The next time you find yourself in a foxhole of trouble that you know you will just have to endure, keep in mind a couple of things. First, keep in mind that there are many others who, no doubt, have had to endure you and your weaknesses from time to time. But most of all, remember Jesus who has endured all things on your behalf.
Where we have stumbled and given in, Jesus did not. Where we surrendered to temptations, Jesus did not. Then he went to the cross. And there he endured the unspeakable to wash us clean forever. He endured all things in our place and prevailed. And now he lives to send us the strength of his Spirit by the power of his gospel. In him, we will prevail.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, be with me in my foxhole. Comfort me. Give me courage and strength. Keep me warm in your grace. Amen.
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